Sunday 28 July 2013

Week 2 is over!!

Well, after completing Week 2 of Sarah Wilson's 8 Week sugar-quitting program, I must say that I feel pretty damn good. Surprising, right? I managed to avoid the late-night supermarket visits, the chocolate bar temptation at the servo, and most importantly, I avoided eating any sugar all week!

I must admit I came into this week a little unsure of myself and my ability to be strong... I had come so very close to breaking in the previous week as my cravings were something out of this world (a strange alien crept inside my body at 11am, 3pm and 9pm and took over my mind and my stomach and turned me into a horrid monster). But, this week it was... different. Not only were the cravings less frequent, but they came at me with much less ferocity and force that I actually found them quite easy to deal with. Who would have thought?!? This could have something to do with the GlucoBalance tablets from the naturopath that I was prescribed that help control cravings and stabilize insulin levels in the blood, or perhaps the green smoothie I had every morning that kept me satisfied, or maybe the new love I developed for different flavored tea to get me through. And I'm pretty sure that Sarah Wilson's Choc Peanut Butter Hot Cocoa could satisfy ANY craving and took me a little closer to heaven - my goodness it was amazing!

But all of this aside, what I loved about this week was the Week 2 mantra: replace sugar with fat. Sound strange? It was my savior. It seems that we are programmed to think that fat is bad from a pretty young age. The fat-free phenomenon took over the diet market and saturated our supermarkets, advertising and health magazines. But it's a pile of rubbish - fat is not our enemy. In fact, if you are eating the right fats, it can help you lose weight and assist with other health-related issues. It also meant that I could eat toasted Haloumi cheese after dinner and almond butter on toast in the odd afternoon. Yum! For me, I would rarely eat toast or cheese in fear that it would make me fat. So I LOVED eating guilt free this week, and still feeling like I wasn't depriving myself.

This week looked pretty similar to last week, except I had Sarah Wilson's Green Smoothie for breakfast every day - Kale, cucumber, avocado, lime, ginger, mint and parsley blended with a drop or 2 of stevia. I thought it was going to be a block-your-nose-and-put-it-down-the-hatch drink when I first saw the recipe, but it actually tastes pretty good! That would take me right through to lunch, where I'd have some meat and salad and then some haloumi cheese or hommus and veggies in the arvo. Dinner was similar - meat/tofu and veg most nights. Oh and tea of course - lots of tea. Green tea, chai tea, licorice root tea, lemon ginger tea. When a craving hit, I'd jump on the kettle and busy myself in the tea cupboard (yes, I have a whole cupboard dedicated to different tea now), and I would survive.

One other thing that has happened while on this program, is that I haven't touched alcohol in 2 weeks. While Sarah says you can make good alcohol choices that are low in fructose, I've decided to leave the grog behind for the entire 8 week period. Big ask for me! I'm a big weekend wino and my friends have no idea how to socialize with me when I don't have glass of vino in hand, but again, we will survive.

Next week I have to say goodbye to all of the sweetness in my life... No stevia, no rice malt syrup, no fruit, no sweetened sauces, which means no more Choc Peanut Butter Hot Cocoa drinks (probably a good thing... I'll be keeping this as a special indulgent treat from now on). I feel prepared for this, and well equipped. It feels good! The fact that I have been strong this week has given me a lot of hope and confidence for the following few weeks. They will be tough, but I will get through.

I have lost 3 kg since I started 2 weeks ago, and I can already feel a (slight) difference in my clothes. Woohoo!!! If that's not motivating, I don't know what is. Bring it on, week 3!!        

4 comments:

  1. Sarina!! WAY TO GO!!! This was a well written post and you are doing ALL the right things! Be very, very proud of yourself. Just think how much sugar you have NOT eaten, in just these couple of weeks alone? If it waa measured out in front of you, I'm sure you'd be shocked.

    You are going to nail this detox, and come out looking FAB!!

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    1. Thanks Hannah, your support has been fantastic. And so motivating! I think I might do a sugar-saved calculation for next week... I'm sure it will be a jaw dropper!

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  2. I just loved reading your blog! I am very much in the same boat (prev. 58kg, now sitting around 69kg... OMG). Reading your first post entry was breathtaking - it was like you had held a mirror up to my own life!!! This week is week 1 for me. I'm just going gentle and trying to beat down the craving monsters at the moment... Please keep up with your blog, it is a great inspiration to see what the road ahead holds. well done =)

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    1. Thanks Tiffany, and well done on taking the plunge! Making that decision is often the hardest part of this process, so you've already taken a huge step. Just take it day by day and remember you are not alone! I will keep updating, and please keep me posted with your progress too. You can do this!!

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